Device for holding and squeezing tubes

ABSTRACT

A relatively rigid housing of plastic material is provided with a squeeze-out slit and a turning key which is to be inserted into an opening in the housing, parallel to this slit. The opening which extends through the housing is wider than the thickness of the key, so that the key fits into the opening when the tube is rolled up on it.

United States Patent 1191 Hausmann et al.

[4 Oct. 7, 1975 DEVICE FOR HOLDING AND SQUEEZING TUBES [76] Inventors: Else Hausmann; Heinrich Hausmann, both of 3 Hegauweg 7893 .l estetten/ Baden, Germany 22 Filed: Aug. 21, 1973 21 Appl. No.2 389,641

Related U.S. Application Data [63] Continuation of Ser. No. 206,637, Dec. L0, 1971,

abandoned.

[52] U.S. Cl. 222/99 [51] Int. Cl B65d 35/34 58 Field of Search 222/99, 100; 226/197;

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,569,629 10/1951 Everitt 133/6 10/1969 Ballin 222/100 8/1970 l-lausmann et al .4 222/100 Primary Examiner-Stanley H. Tollberg Assistant ExaminerNorman L. Stack, Jr.

'Attorney, Agent, or FirmSandoe, Hopgood 8L Calirnafde ABSTRACT A relatively rigid housing of plastic material is provided with a squeeze-out slit and a turning key which is to be inserted into an opening in the housing, parallel to this slit. The opening which extends through the housing is wider than the thickness of the key, so that the key fits into theopening when the tube is rolled up on it.

3 Claims, 7 Drawing Figures US. Patent Oct. 7,1975 3,910,460

1 DEVICE FOR HOLDING AND SQUEEZING TUBES This is acontinuation of application Ser. No. 206,637

filed Dec. 10, 1971, now abandoned. I

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to devices for holding and squeezing tubes. A tube holder of this kind, capable of extracting tooth past tubes and the like, with a loose leaf spring inserted into the housing is disclosed by Austrian Pat. No. A 6083/68. This invention, however, will create a tube holder which is as inexpensive as possible so that it may be given free of charge with a full tube.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Experience shows that the above objective can be obtained with a device which has a housing characterized by the fact that an opening is provided which extends completely through this housing with at least one rib jutting into the opening; the rib is thin-walled, elastically deformable, and of one piece with the housing. The free end of the rib is, in its original, non-working, relaxed state, directed toward the squeeze-out slit, and its dimensions are such that it is able to hold the turning key in the opening. The entire device has only two parts, the housing and the turning key. This, of course, lowers the manufacturing cost of the device.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In the accompanying drawings several embodiments are represented showing designs applying the invention:

FIG. 1 shows a tube holder viewed from its narrow side;

FIG. 2 shows the device of FIG. 1, but in side view DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The device according to FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 shows a tube squeezing implement intended to be hung on a wall or other surface. For this purpose, the housing 1 is provided with a reinforcing rib 2 and with a bore 2' which serve as an eyelet for hanging the device. The housing shows an all-the-way-through opening 3 into which jut a plurality of ribs 5, 6 and 6 which run parallel to the squeeze-out slit 4, are elastically deformable. and are of one piece with the housing. The rib 5, in non-working, relaxed position, points toward the squeeze-out slit 4. Ribs 6 and 6 are directed toward the center of the opening 3. On the outside of the housing jointed to the squeezeout slit 4 guiding flanks 7 are placed.

In FIG. I a broken circular line indicates the circumference of a turning key inserted into opening 3. Since ribs 5, 6 and 6' are cut by this line, this means that they are deformed when the empty turning key is inserted, so that they can hold the key even when it is empty. To facilitate the insertion of the key, ribs 5, 6 and 6 are slightly beveled on both ends, as may be seen clearly, particularly in FIG. 2 on rib 5.

FIGS. 2 and 3 show the device when used with a tube T, partly rolled up on a turning key 8. Particularly in FIG. 3, it is clearly shown how the ribs 5, 6 and 6. are deformed when the tube wall is rolled-up. The device can be used repeatedly, since the ribs straighten out again when the key with the empty tube is pulled out. The device, with a tube inserted into it, can be hung up or laid down, but it cannot stand.

The device shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, however, can be stored standing up with a tube inserted into it. For this purpose the device has a differently shaped housing 10 which is reinforced inside by a rib II. The round, allthe-way-through opening 12 is provided with an elastically deformable, corrugated wall 13 integrally formed with the housing. On this wall, ribs 15 are placed pointing toward the squeeze-out slit 14. The ribs are of one piece with the corrugated wall and the housing and are themselves elastically deformable. They are beveled at their ends 15. Two guiding flanks 16 which are joined to the outside of the housing 4 along the slit 14 to form a V. The guiding flanks'l6 are elastically deformable along the edge of the slit 14. This offers the advantage that a tube can be squeezed out more completely than would be possible with rigid flanks.

The left half of FIG. 4 shows a tube T in a partly emptied state, and the right half of the Figure shows the same tube T in an almost completely squeezed-out state. In FIG. 4, again, the outside circumference of the empty turning key is indicated by a broken circular line.

FIGS. 6 and 7 show a third form of a tube holder, and squeeze-out device which, like the device of FIGS. 4 and 5, can stand. In contrast to the other devices described above, its housing 20 has only one rib 22 running transversely to the squeeze-out slit 2]. ,The rlatively rigid housing is provided, on the outside, with guiding flanks 23 adjoining the squeeze-out slit and extending to form a V.

In FIG. 7 shows how the elastic rib 22 is deformed while the device is in use holding a tube T the walls of which are being rolled up on a turning key 24. In FIG. 6 the broken circular line 24' shows that rib 22 is able to hold the turning key 24 even when it is empty.

It will be understood by those skilled in the art that the above described embodiments of the invention are meant to be merely exemplary and they are susceptible of variation and modification without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Therefore, the invention is not deemed to be limited except as defined by the appended claims.

We claim:

I. A device for holding a squeezable tube and extracting the contents thereof comprising:

a turning key having a tube receiving slot therein on which the tube can be rolled up;

a one piece plastic housing defining an opening which is at least partially cylindrical and which extends completely therethrough and a slit through the housing that extends axially along the cylindrical opening whereby one end of the tube can be inserted into the opening and engaged therein by the turning key, the opening being of sufficient diameter to accommodate the turning key with the tube tube and turn key within the opening. 2.IThe device of claim I, wherein the ribs are placed on an elastically deformable corrugated wall which extends completely through the opening.

I 3. The device of claim 1, further comprising guiding flanks disposed outside of the housing adjoining the slit l which are elastically formed as one piece with the hous-t 7 ing andwhich are bendable where they join the walls of the housing along the slit. 

1. A device for holding a squeezable tube and extracting the contents thereof comprising: a turning key having a tube receiving slot therein on which the tube can be rolled up; a one piece plastic housing defining an opening which is at least partially cylindrical and which extends completely therethrough and a slit through the housing that extends axially along the cylindrical opening whereby one end of the tube can be inserted into the opening and engaged therein by the turning key, the opening being of sufficient diameter to accommodate the turning key with the tube at least partially rolled up thereon; and a plurality of elastically deformable upstanding plastic ribs contained completely within said opening and integrally formed with the housing, said ribs projecting toward the center of the opening when in a relaxed state and positioned so as to be deformed outwardly against the walls of the housing by a tube and turn key inserted in the opening to prevent the tube from uncurling and to hold the tube and turn key within the opening.
 2. The device of claim 1, wherein the ribs are placed on an elastically deformable corrugated wall which extends completely through the opening.
 3. The deVice of claim 1, further comprising guiding flanks disposed outside of the housing adjoining the slit which are elastically formed as one piece with the housing and which are bendable where they join the walls of the housing along the slit. 